


Surviving the Office: A How-To Guide by the Hot New Hire

by jonghhho



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Crack, F/M, I Don't Even Know, Implied Sexual Content, Jongho is confused, Kinda, M/M, Minor Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Minor Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Sexual awakening?, This is Chaotic, but everyone else is, everyone loves jongho, hahaha, inspired by the seasons greetings, jongho is not gay, or jongho might be gay?, seongjoong if you squint, sexual inuendos and such
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-16 13:07:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21508423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jonghhho/pseuds/jonghhho
Summary: Ever been the hot new hire at an office? Ever wondered why all of your co-workers were always hitting on you at inappropriate times? Fear not, Jongho has had the same thing happen to him, and here's how he was able to survive it all.or; jongho is the hot new hire at the office and has to deal with the advances of his co-workers.
Comments: 34
Kudos: 161





	1. i

**Author's Note:**

> my irl friends and i were talking about the new seasons greetings and this happened.  
> so many thanks to [katie](http://www.twitter.com/kpoptrashacan), my motivator and the reason all of this was possible!  
> these are going to be very short chapters and updates will be irregular, but it's just a cute side project so pls enjoy!

When Jongho lands his first job at a small game company, he thinks he’ll be set for the next few years. He doesn’t necessarily like games but he can see himself working in an office, processing sales numbers and working at a steady paced place. He gets his own cubicle and gets health insurance benefits and it’s really all that he could ever ask for. 

On his first day, he’s greeted by his immediate boss in the lobby who introduces himself as Hongjoong. He’s a little on the shorter side and is conversing animatedly with the front desk person when Jongho strolls in. 

“I promise you’ll fit right in, “ Hongjoong reassures him and Jongho follows the shorter man into the elevator. 

When they get off on the fourth floor, Jongho is greeted by absolute silence. The front desk is vacant so he doesn’t get to meet the office assistant right away, but that’s okay. What’s weird though as Hongjoong points out the copy room and the first conference room is that everything is truly silent. 

He doesn’t hear any clicking keyboards or phones ringing when they step into the main office area and it’s immediately clear why. Every cubicle is vacant. Hongjoong sighs beside him and points to the closest cubicle. 

“That’s Yeosang’s desk. He insisted being closest to the door because apparently his handsome face should be the first thing a customer sees when they walk in,” Hongjoong explains. He has an almost pained expression on his face. He turns to Jongho with narrowed eyes. “We don’t ever get any customers walking into the office.” 

“The desk there is Wooyoung’s and the desk there is San’s,” he says, pointing to two desks on opposite sides of the room. Then he points to the completely vacant desk in the middle, “and that one is yours. Good luck.”

He moves further into the room and points to two more desks. “That one is Yunho’s and the one next to it is Mingi’s. They’re loud, but they’re nice enough.” 

Jongho watches his boss carefully and thinks that he looks a little exasperated. He wonders where everyone is. 

“That office,” Hongjoong proceeds and points to the office on the left, “is mine, and beside it is Seonghwa’s. He’s the sweetest.” 

Jongho can hear the endearment in Hongjoong’s voice and wonders what this Seonghwa looks like. Hongjoong shows him the bathrooms, the break room, and then stops in front of the second meeting room. He looks a little helpless as he takes in a deep breath and then turns to him.

“They’re all good kids, I promise. They’re just a little crazy.” 

Jongho is about to question what the man means when he pushes the door open and a loud chorus of an animated kids song blares through the doorway. 

_I got a ponytail_  
_I got a ponytail_  
_I got a p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-ponytail_

There are six men sitting around the conference table with official looking documents laid open in front of them and one lone figure stands at the podium with a smug smile on his face. Hongjoong hides his face behind his hands and immediately rushes over to turn off the video. Everyone is still sitting around, looking shocked, confused, and very uncomfortable.

“What are you doing, Yeosang?” Hongjoong asks, shutting down the projection and turning all the lights back on. 

The man named Yeosang turns to him with a huge grin on his face. “I found it last night while I was scrolling through YouTube, isn’t it like the best thing you’ve seen all day?”

There’s genuine delight bleeding through the man’s voice and Hongjoong takes another deep breath and dismisses everyone. The six other people all get up from their seats, grumbling and Jongho moves away from the doorway to let them out. 

The first person that moves to the door stops and turns to Jongho. “I assume you’re Jongho, the new hire. If Yeosang tries to show you that video, walk away, okay? I’m Seonghwa by the way.” 

Jongho nods and watches as everyone returns to their desks with grumbles. 

“He said it was an important HR video!” one of them shouts. 

As for how his first day goes, Jongho thinks it could have been much worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for visiting and i hope you guys come back!  
> please leave comments on what you think might happen, as it will motivate me lots!  
> as always, come yell at me on twitter, [jonghhho](http://www.twitter.com/jonghhho)!


	2. ii

Jongho’s been at his new job for a week now and he can honestly say it’s been a roller coaster. Wooyoung and San seem to always be screaming at each other over his cubicle, and he’s okay with it for the most part. He doesn’t find out they’re dating until he walks in on the two of them kissing in the break room to which he responds with putting his hands up and immediately turning around and walking away. 

Hongjoong somehow finds out about it and reprimands the two about showing public displays of affection and how it might make others uncomfortable but Jongho just says it’s fine because it is. San and Wooyoung smile at him and proceed to shower _him_ with affection by rubbing and pinching his cheeks and calling him a baby. 

So, work has been interesting at the least, but Jongho finds he actually doesn’t mind the workload either. He likes numbers enough and has a good grasp on the system already. 

Last Friday, Seonghwa had showed up to work with a plate of cookies and an expensive looking tie on. 

(“Today’s special is lemon and mint sugar cookies,” the man says as he walks straight to Hongjoong and offers him the biggest one. His boss turns an odd shade of pink but accepts with a mumbled thanks.)

Turns out the tie is actually expensive and Jongho almost shits himself when it flips over and he reads the Dior tag on it. He then wonders if Seonghwa gets paid more than he does.

It’s a Thursday afternoon when he’s approached by Yunho in the break room as he’s getting himself an Americano. 

(Seonghwa, their manager of purchase, claims that nice things in the office will motivate everyone to work harder and to produce work of better quality. Therefore their break room has an espresso machine and a waffle maker and is always stocked on k-cups when one is looking for a quick cup of coffee. Jongho agrees wholeheartedly.)

“So, you got any plans for tonight?” The taller asks, sliding up beside him as Jongho waits for his coffee. He shakes his head and Yunho smiles. 

“Come have a drink with me. My favorite bar is just right down the street. It’s cozy and the bartender knows me as a regular.” 

Jongho isn't blind but he definitely doesn't have a clue about what’s going to happen next. He doesn't see the way Yunho is leaning up against the counter, a move that he would have executed to the point of his shoe on the linoleum if he were at a club. He doesn't see the laid back smile on Yunho’s face and the suggestive tilt of his head and does not check every single box in the ‘hitting on someone’ column. 

So he smiles and turns to the taller man. "Is this a mandate from my superior?" 

He thinks he's being so clever. "You know, like a man-date? Men on a date."

And as he picks up his freshly brewed Americano and turns fully to the older man, he sees the frozen smile on his face and stops. 

"Well what else would it be?" Yunho asks. 

Jongho doesn't know what to do. He's only ever been hit on by sleazy old men in clubs, not hot young ones at his place of work. He looks from Yunho and then to the door and then smiles again. 

He's so fucked. 

Jongho agrees to drinks anyway because he genuinely likes Yunho and thinks he might be one of the more normal ones in the office. He also agrees because Yunho goes on about the two of them fulfilling their potential as the ‘two-ho-bros’, whatever that means. 

He doesn't however pass up the opportunity to invite Mingi along and watches, a little apologetically as Yunho and Mingi bicker about their after work activity. 

The bar turns out actually be a nice and cozy place. It’s got hole-in-the-wall vibes and weird specialty drinks that Yunho orders for them and Jongho finds he doesn’t mind it at all. They sit and talk about their interests and hobbies and Jongho finds out Yunho likes to go to the gym sometimes after work. 

He also finds out that Yunho just adopted a dog and that he and Mingi have been friends for years before coming to the company together. He finds out that he’s very talkative and is capable of holding multiple conversations (with him, the bartender, and the pretty college girls that come up to order drinks) at the same time. 

He finds out the Mingi is excessively louder than he is at the office. He learns that the older used to be an unknown Soundcloud rapper and that he used to dance. He also learns that Mingi loves watching cute anime and is very jealous of Seonghwa's collection of expensive clothes. 

A few drinks and two hours in, Jongho finds out that Yunho’s cheeks get red when he’s had his fair share of drinks. He becomes a little louder but is still able to charm everyone around them and he’s very honest. Mingi on the other hand becomes a little clingy. He slurs his words and touches Yunho everywhere and Jongho senses that the other doesn't mind much. They have been friends for _eight years_ , after all.

They call it a night when Yunho announces that his new dog is probably peeing all over his stuff. The pretty college girls giggle at his announcement. 

Jongho waves goodbye to Yunho and Mingi who totter off in the same direction to a bus stop and is confused because they mentioned living on opposite sides of town. He stalks back to his own subway station and when he arrives home, he sees that there's a text from Yunho. 

_hes drooling onme…._

Maybe Yunho's failed pickup and his own panicked blunders weren't such a mistake after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys are liking it so far!  
> thanks again to [katie](http://www.twitter.com/kpoptrashacan) for being the most amazing human being and for being my impromptu beta!  
> come yell at me on twitter, [jonghhho](http://www.twitter.com/jonghhho)!


	3. iii

Jongho crashes his computer on Monday afternoon and no one will shut up about it for the rest of the week. Yeosang jokes about watching porn on company property and Mingi can’t seem to stop giggling about it as he manages to hit a few keys and reboot the computer 

Jongho learns that Mingi is the resident “fix-it” man. When Wooyoung jams the copier (he’s only making the copies because their office assistant, a cute girl named Siyeon, is out on a mail run for Hongjoong) on Wednesday, he yells for Mingi and the taller boy emerges from the copy room with ink on his hands and a huge grin in 20 minutes. 

“That was faster than that electronics guy we call in to fix the phones!” San exclaims and immediately rushes into the copy room to check out Mingi’s handy-work. Wooyoung pokes his head out a few minutes later with wide eyes. “How did you make it so quiet?” 

Mingi just shrugs and goes back to sipping his tea and Jongho is mildly impressed.

It’s the next day when Jongho is digging around in the copy room looking for the mailing supplies that Mingi slips into the room soundlessly and scares the living shit out of him. 

“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST,” Jongho yells as Mingi doubles over in a fit of laughter. He clutches his chest as Mingi points at him and cackles. 

“You-you should have seen you face!” Mingi yells, progressing into a second fit of giggles. Jongho glares at the taller man and turns back to resume his search for the mailing supplies. 

Seonghwa walks by a moment later, looking down at a handful of papers and calls, “that’s not appropriate language for an office, young man.” Jongho sputters because Seonghwa seems to be everywhere at all the wrong times.

“What are you looking for?” Mingi asks and Jongho tells him Hongjoong asked him to write up and prepare some thank you letters to the forty game testers that came in last week to test the new board game they’re launching. 

Mingi hums behind him and as Jongho goes to open another set of cabinet doors, he feels the taller man’s chest press against his back as he reaches his long arms around him to open the cabinets. 

Jongho almost yelps at the closeness and the warmth that envelopes him as Mingi all but whispers into his ear with his ever-so-low voice that all the mailing supplies, including the address labels and label sticker sheets, are in there. He reaches in to grab the address labels, envelopes and stamps and then steps away. 

Jongho can feel himself flush but he turns and stammers out ‘thanks’ then gathers his stuff and walks out of the copy room, the tips of his ears red. 

When he gets to his desk and plops down in his seat Yunho looks over at him only briefly before jumping out of his seat and ducking into the copy room. The door slams shut and everyone looks up from their work. 

“Don’t tell me San and Wooyoung are gonna try to fuck in there again,” Yeosang sighs with a frown. San looks up at the boy with an exasperated look. 

“We’re literally right here,” he says and Wooyoung attempts to hit his friend with a balled up piece of paper which just lands on Jongho’s desk pitifully.

“Oh, well then what are they doing in there?” Yeosang questions, looking to each of them. Seonghwa comes out of his office at the exact moment loud noises start drifting from the copy room.

Jongho can’t help but feel like he’s at the center of whatever is happening in the room, but he doesn’t say anything. He just watches as Seonghwa strides through the room. They can’t see anything from where they are but the oldest is definitely yelling at the two men in the copy room. 

Jongho catches his name thrown around and everyone turns to look at him wide-eyed. He just smiles and ducks his head in embarrassment. 

After that day, Mingi constantly seems to turn up in the copy room every time Jongho is there. He corners him one day while Jongho is making copies of the new sales records and asks him if he wants to grab lunch together. Jongho nods and smiles and ducks out as quickly as he can and is unceremoniously stopped by Yunho in the hallway. 

“Wanna get lunch together? I’ve been dying to try the new ramen shop around the corner.”

Mingi comes out of the copy room then and immediately announces that Jongho is in-fact having lunch with him. Yunho narrows his eyes but shrugs and leaves without another word.

The next day, Yunho catches him in the elevator on their morning commute. Ducks in quickly as the elevator doors are shutting and grins at Jongho who calls a good morning. 

"Morning to you as well. Listen, you wanna get lunch with me today? Assuming you don't already have plans, oh-so-popular-one."

Jongho defends himself, putting out that everyone probably just wants to get to know him better because they'll be working together from now on. Yunho just raises his eyebrow and waits for Jongho's answer. 

Of course he ends up saying yes and as they make their way to their desks, Yunho announces that Jongho will be busy during lunch and not to look for either of them. Yeosang whistles appreciatively and Mingi seems to grumble something under his breath. Yunho has a smug grin on his face all morning. 

They end up not even going to lunch though because Hongjoong calls an emergency meeting about copyright and release dates for their new game. The whole office ends up ordering Chinese and Yunho has a sour look on his face as he shovels eggplant and tangsooyook into his mouth while furiously typing away at his computer. 

It's a week later that Jongho finally realizes that Mingi and Yunho seem to be competing against each other and he's the competition. When Yunho approaches him the break room later that day, Jongho musters up all of his courage and confronts the taller man. 

(He only confronts Yunho because he definitely feels more comfortable with him than Mingi, who genuinely seems to be interested in him. And two-ho-bros, right?)

"So what's going on with you and Mingi?" Jongho asks. He only realizes later what that phrase might sound like to anyone else, but he's persistent. 

Yunho looks taken aback. He stops just an arms length away from Jongho who raises his brows at the older. Yunho opens and closes his mouth and Jongho can clearly see the cogs turning in his brain. 

"I don't know what kind of bet you two made but I just want to make sure that you do know." Jongho starts, he's never had to actively tell anyone this. "I'm not gay." 

Yunho's eyes go comically wide and Jongho can't help the laugh that bubbles in the back of his throat. The older man stands, shell shocked for a moment and then bellows out garble of noise that soon turns into laughter. He's clutching his stomach and stumbling around and now it's Jongho's turn to be utterly shocked. 

After his laughter subsides, Yunho shakes his head at Jongho, opens his mouth to say something and then just turns around and walks out of the break room. 

The rest of the day Jongho watches Mingi stealing frustrated glances at Yunho who is working with a blissed out expression on his face. When the day ends with no more advances with Mingi or Yunho, Jongho thinks that maybe his trick had worked. 

Yunho texts him that night while he's flipping through TV channels. 

_so tell me, what's it like being hit on  
by gay men when you're not gay?_

Jongho rolls his eyes.

 _are you serious_

_yes_  
_im always serious_

_fuck off_

Jongho isn't sure how acceptable it is for him to text those words to a co-worker he's only known for about a month when Yunho texts back with a bunch of laughing emojis.

_touche_

Jongho lets out a relieved sigh and thinks that maybe Yunho is onto something when he insists they're the two-ho-bros.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for dropping by, it means a lot to me!  
> as always, thanks to one of my most favorite people in the world, [katie](http://www.twitter.com/kpoptrashacan), for beta-ing and providing inspiration!  
> check out her new fic [Dorm Life](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21519589), it's joongsang and its freaking cute!
> 
> as always, come yell at me on twitter, [jonghhho](http://www.twitter.com/jonghhho)!


	4. iv.

On one Tuesday morning, Jongho wakes up a little stuffy and very groggy. He doesn't necessarily feel too bad so he decides to push through it and go to work. He takes his time washing his hair and tries to take in as much of the steam from the shower as he can to clear his sinuses then makes himself a large mug of black tea with lemon and honey. 

He feels exhausted already when he makes it to the subway station and thanks whatever gods that are watching over him for letting him snag a seat on the train. 

The consistent hum of the train and warmth of the bodies around him lulls Jongho into a hazy state of half sleep. His head bobs every now and again and he almost misses his stop, scrambling to get up and squeeze through the closing doors. 

It's two more blocks from the station to the office and Jongho feels dead. His limbs are heavy and there's a pressure headache forming in his skull. 

He gets down the first block in one piece and thinks maybe he'll be alright. He doesn't hear the familiar voice calling his name nor does he register that he has to cross the street. He takes one step and feels a hand grasping at his blazer, pulling him backwards as a car speeds by honking loudly. 

"What the hell? Are you okay?" 

Jongho comes to the realization that he's now seated on the ground with a wide-eyed Seonghwa staring down at him. Concern is written all over his face and his hand is still firmly holding onto Jonho's blazer.

"I think I need to go home," he says and Seonghwa nods. 

After making a quick call into the office, Seonghwa leads Jongho back down to the subway station. He's got a hand on his waist, steering the younger away from any danger and making sure he's alright. Seonghwa rides the train all the way back to his apartment and follows the younger inside. Jongho hasn't invited any of his co-workers to his place yet but he guesses this is an appropriate time. 

Seonghwa fusses over making him another cup of tea and watching from the doorway as he changes into sweatpants and a comfy t-shirt. He rummages through Jongo's drawers and makes him take some cold medicine before tucking the younger into bed. 

"Don't try to come into work tomorrow if you feel like shit again, okay?" 

Jongho nods, feeling the cold medicine kicking in and pulling him into drowsiness. He's not sure if Seonghwa leaves right after or not, just snuggles deeper into his bed and drifts into dreamless sleep. 

Jongho returns to work two days later, still a little congested but feeling sane. Seonghwa immediately comes to visit his desk when he sits down and checks his temperature and offers to brew him some tea. Jongho thanks the oldest and assures he’s alright.

Each of his co-workers asks if he’s feeling alright throughout the entirety of the day and Jongho feels like he’s being doted on and doesn’t mind it much. He accepts the kind smile Hongjoong shoots his way as their boss drops a file of papers on Yunho's desk who squawks at the workload. Yunho ends up tossing half of the papers to Mingi who grumbles but helps his friend with the work. 

By 3 o'clock Jongho feels like he has nothing to do. Everyone's been so nice to him all day and with Hongjoong making sure he doesn't get so much of the day's workload Jongho finishes quickly. 

He strolls to the breakroom and rummages through the candy drawer then turns and spies the fruit bowl on the closest table. He contemplates between the banana and orange and decides on the apple instead. 

Mingi walks in as Jongho grips the apple in his two hands and effortlessly splits the fruit and then proceeds to drop one half as Mingi all but screams at him.

“HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!” 

And so for the next thirty minutes the whole office tunes in to Jongho splitting apples with his bare hands. Yunho giggles and claps delightedly every time an apple gets halved and Mingi and San both grab an apple each to try it out and fail miserably.

Hongjoong looks on a little amused but mostly distraught by the youngest’s strength and Seonghwa squawks every time pieces of apple fly into the air. 

The next day Jongho finds an assortment of fruits arranged in a pretty basket on his desk and Yeosang in a beret and bronze eyeshadow sitting in his chair. He looks extremely pretty and Jongho contemplates himself for a whole minutes .

“Show me what you can do with those hands,” Yeosang lulls with a smirk dancing on the corners of his lips. 

Jongho doesn’t know what leads him to agreeing but soon after Seonghwa has set up a foolproof 6x6 tarp (where did he even get that from) in the middle of the break room while everyone else sits in a semi circle to watch Jongho split and crack various fruits with his hands. 

By the end of it everyone is thoroughly impressed and Mingi can’t seem to stop yelling about the watermelon. Jongho’s hands are a little sore and Hongjoong must catch on because, yet again, he drops a large pile of paperwork onto Yunho’s desk who cries out in horror. This time around he delivers a small stack to each of them with sweet smiles and a lie about Hongjoong asking him to divvy out the work. No one really questions it.

That afternoon Jongho’s computer crashes yet again. Mingi comes to the rescue with a huge grin. “If you wanted to see my face, all you had to do was ask.” 

Jongho can distinctly hear Yunho laughing and turns to shoot the older man a glare. He just keeps laughing and making faces at an unsuspecting Mingi. 

Jongho asks Mingi if he’s been to the new steakhouse that opened up in Itaewon. The older shakes his head and continues to diagnose his computer. With a few keystrokes and a manual reboot, his computer seems to be working again and Mingi turns to him with a proud smile. 

“I haven’t yet, but I can’t tonight. I have,” he leans in a little too close for comfort but Jongho doesn’t budge, “a date.” 

Shooting him one last smirk, Mingi skips back to his desk and Jongho follows with his eyes. He sees Yunho silently suppressing his laughs again and sends him a text.

_you haven’t told him have you…_

_what would be the fun in THAT?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i mention updates are going to be random?  
> lots of thanks, as always, to the lovely [katie](http://www.twitter.com/kpoptrashacan) for beta-ing and inspiring me.  
> please let me know what you think in the comments!
> 
> and as always, come yell at me on twitter, [jonghhho](http://www.twitter.com/jonghhho)!


	5. v.

It’s Friday afternoon when Hongjoong announces that they should all go out for a company dinner and some drinks. The launch of their new game had been a success and their higher ups were praising their branch in particular for putting in the idea.

(“Yunho was drunk and had this crazy idea of combining Twister and Never Have I Ever.” Mingi chimes, giggling about the memory. Hongjoong rolls his eyes and comments that they shouldn’t be talking about that in the office. “But it was at a company party,” Yeosang counters, and their boss groans.)

Everyone agrees except for their office assistant who says she’s going straight to the train station that evening to visit her parents for the weekend in Gwangju and no one really has any objections. Come to think of it, Jongho barely ever notices the girl’s presence in the office. She usually only interacts with Hongjoong and Seonghwa on a daily basis. Jongho remembers speaking to her on one occasion, asking for her to copy some data sheets for a presentation. She hadn’t said much then, either. 

When five o’clock comes, everyone seems to be buzzing with excitement. Jongho hasn’t been to a company dinner yet so he doesn’t really know what to expect. He just follows along as everyone shuffles out of the office and Yunho slings his arm around his shoulders to steer him along. 

Dinner is a rowdy thing. Yunho and Hongjoong are in charge of grilling the meat and Jongho scrambles around trying to make sure everyone’s glasses are full with soju. Seonghwa dismisses him from alcohol duty about forty minutes in though and says they can all take care of their own drinks. Hongjoon nods along and Jongho thanks the two of them. 

Mingi ends up knocking over a whole bottle of soju halfway through the meal and everyone groans at the loss. The older lady who owns the restaurant doesn’t seem to mind though and pats Mingi on the cheek once as she delivers a new bottle. 

“Mingi is the ahjumma’s favorite. She says he reminds her of her son or something.” Yeosang explains. “We come here almost every time we have a company dinner so we’re basically regulars."

Ten minutes later, the lady comes back with two more servings of meat that they hadn’t ordered and Hongjoong thanks her profusely. She pokes Jongho on the cheek and leans in with a smile. 

“Who’s the new one? Haven’t seen him around before.” 

Mingi leans his long frame over the table and explains to her that he’s the new hire. He screams about how he can split apples with his bare hands and the lady coos at him. She asks him if he lives nearby and if he has a boyfriend ("Or a girlfriend," Hongjoong chimes.). 

Everyone becomes a little hush-hush when she throws the question out but Jongho just laughs it off with a wave of his hand and calling out in a sarcastic way, “you’re too nosy ahjumma!” He catches Mingi’s hopeful eyes and Yunho’s mischievous ones.

When they finish with dinner, Yeosang ceremoniously stands from his seat, slamming his hand down on the table and announces the second course. Jongho is all but dragged from the restaurant, the lady calling for them to be safe and not stay out too long. 

He’s got Yunho on one side and Wooyoung on the other and it’s _loud_. They’re all stumbling along the street, already a little tipsy from dinner, and gearing up to sing their hearts out at the karaoke room. 

Yeosang starts off the night with a piercing rendition of “Single Ladies.” He doesn’t actually sing any of the lyrics and basically just screams into the microphone but Yunho and Mingi seem to enjoy it. They’re throwing it back and twerking (unnecessarily well) to the song as Wooyoung jumps around with San in his arms. 

Hongjoong and Seonghwa order drinks and appetizers and they arrive in the middle of Yunho and Mingi’s couple dance. The waiter steps into the room awkwardly, avoiding the flailing limbs in his way and sets down two pitchers of beer and an assortment of food. He ducks out before anyone really notices him and Hongjoong seems to wince in embarrassment. 

The mic and remote get passed around and Jongho eventually joins in on the action, tying his tie around his head and belching out the lyrics to “Tears” into the nearest microphone as Yeosang and Seonghwa watch him in awe like kindergarteners. 

San and Wooyoung sing a sappy love song into each other’s faces as everyone groans around the table and out of the corner of his eye, Jongho sees Yunho giggling maniacally as he drops shots of soju into his and Hongjoong’s beers. 

Their boss doesn’t seem to notice as he ends up chugging the whole glass with the persistent cheering of Mingi and Yeosang at his side. Yunho doesn’t stop giggling to himself the whole time. 

Eventually Hongjoong’s face becomes flushed and his eyes go lax as he runs his hands up and down Seonghwa’s arm as talks about a squirrel he saw at the park last Sunday. 

“It was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! The squirrel! It has these little arms and these little hands and the tiniest little feet! The cutest!” He imitates how the squirrel scrunched it’s whiskers and Jongho laughs because the man also crunches his nose cutely.

Seonghwa looks a little uncomfortable but nods along to the story anyway, adding appreciative little hums in all the right spots. Hongjoong seems content at the attention he’s getting and giggles into Seonghwa’s neck. The eldest tenses visibly and Jongho just shoots him a look that says _‘you’ll be fine’_ before getting up to sing the song he’d put in. 

Everyone’s attention seems to be on him as he carefully starts the ballad. He knows he sings well and deliberately uses every technique in the book as the verse pans into the chorus. 

There’s a sparkle in Yeosang’s eyes that he hasn’t seen before and Mingi can’t seem to keep his mouth closed. San, Yunho, and Wooyoung sit in the corner, swaying to the music and mouthing long to the song while Hongjoong fiddles with his phone and then emerges with a wide grin and an LED-like display on his phone that flashes ‘Choi Jongho’ in neon purple letters. 

Jongho laughs into the microphone as the second verse starts and everyone cheers for him in encouragement. When the song fades out with the ringing of his last note, Wooyoung jumps from his seat with a toothy smile and proceeds to shower him in kisses. San joins in not too long after and Mingi is yelling in protest while Hongjoong watches with a content smile on his face.

Three songs and a number of drinks later, Jongho finds himself in the middle of the floor as San attempts to sing “Side to Side” by Ariana Grande. 

Hongjoong is standing on a seat and wiggling around while Songhwa protectively holds out his arms to steady him. The boss decides it’s an invitation and immediately wraps himself around the oldest’s middle. Seonghwa sputters as Hongjoong starts swaying and Mingi has his phone out, flash on and capturing the moment with loud, cackling laughter.

At some point Wooyoung starts grinding against Yunho who reciprocates enthusiastically. San screams into the mic about loyalty and jumps in between the two of them, caging Wooyoung between his arms and shooting daggers at Yunho who just puts him hands up defensively and steps back with a playful look. 

It’s only a moment later that Jongho feels a hand on his hip and a voice in his ear asking if he would like to dance. He jumps at the foreign feeling of hands running down his sides and immediately steps away and whirls around. 

Mingi looks at him in surprise, immediately apologizing. Jongho can feel himself flushing (although he’s most likely already red-faced from the alcohol) and assures him it’s alright and in behind him he can hear Yunho’s breathy laughter. 

The tallest of them proceeds to drag Mingi out of the room and Jongho is saved from any further humiliation. 

Or so he thinks. 

It’s after Mingi and Yunho step back into the room and after Mingi apologizes to Jongho once again that a familiar beat starts over the speakers and Yeosang loops his fingers into the belt loops of Jongho’s trousers and sits him down in the middle of the floor.

He’s got a dark look in his eyes as he looks down at Jongho with the start of a smirk on his lips and there are woops and hollers coming from the rest of their co-workers who sit around to watch as Yeosang begins to drag his hand down Jongho’s chest. 

Jongho watches in slight fascination and wholehearted confusion as Yeosang bites his bottom lip and proceeds to slut drop right in front of his eyes. Jongho gasps as the usually snarky but quiet man grips one of his knees and comes up, spinning on the spot and then walking sensuously around him. He stops on Jongho’s left side and swings his leg over to straddle him and Jongho has to cover his face as the man starts rolling his hips to the beat of “Adult Ceremony” and the screaming of the others.

The lap dance doesn’t last particularly long but Jongho can remember every single detail of it as they all stumble out of the karaoke room and into the cool night air of the streets of Seoul. Seonghwa calls himself and Hongjoong a cab, claiming he’ll get the boss-man home in one piece. 

San, Wooyoung, and Yeosang (who all live in the general same direction) call their own cab and that leaves Jongho to wait for a cab with Yunho and Mingi. 

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable all these weeks, trying to come on to you,” Mingi apologizes again. Jongho just shakes his head and assures him again that it’s fine. 

“It was like an expedited getting to know you. It’s fine, really.” 

Two cabs arrive at the same time and Jongho, again, watches in mild confusion as Yunho and Mingi climb into their cab together. He waves goodbye to them and clambers into his own cab. Halfway home, he receives a notification about a new group chat. 

The chat is unnamed and whoever created it isn’t a phone number that Jongho knows but it’s pretty apparent what the video that’s attached is the second it starts playing. 

Jongho immediately closes it and flushes up to his ears remembering the sinful way Yeosang had rolled his hips on top of him. A few minutes later the same number sends another video and this time Jongho can tell that it’s Mingi who’s sending them because he laughs loud and clear in the video as Hongjoong pulls Seonghwa into his arms and starts swaying. 

When morning comes, Jongho is greeted by the chat exploding in non-work-like language and Hongjoon begging Mingi to delete the videos for corporate reasons. Mingi ends up deleting them from the chat but doesn’t answer Hongjoong when he asks if he’s going to delete them from his phone. 

A few minutes later Yunho sends a picture of Mingi wrapped in a duvet with his his hands and only the top of his head poking through. 

_he’s never deleting them_  
_he won’t stop rewatching them_  
_help_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm writing this more than my yungi fic and i'm so sorry.  
> also these chapters keep getting longer and longer, but i have no regrets.  
> neways, i hope y'all love it as much as i do and as always, i love you katie uwu.  
> leave me nice comments (not not nice, i don't mind) pls!
> 
> and as always, come yell at me on twitter, [jonghhho](http://www.twitter.com/jonghhho)!


	6. vi.

When Jongho goes into the office on Monday morning, he's greeted by a red faced Hongjoong who is profusely apologizing to the office assistant. The girl doesn't seem so bothered by whatever it is he's apologizing for, but she just nods her head and smiles politely at him. When Jongho locks eyes with her, a smile that he's never seen before creeps up on her lips and Hongjoong groans out a little in embarrassment. 

Jongho bypasses the front desk and almost walks straight into Yeosang's back. When the older turns, Jongho's surprised to see that he's wearing large, silver framed glasses. Memories of Friday night come creeping back from Jongho's memory, but before he can say anything (and embarrass himself) Yeosang opens his mouth and says, "Hello there, new kid." 

Jongho is thoroughly confused because Yeosang has never called him "new kid" before. He's also distraught because this continues throughout the morning and Wooyoung finally turns from his desk to tell Jongho with an amused smile, "he thinks the glasses will hide him. Like you won't notice he's still the same person or whatever."

Yeosang continues on like that for a few days, swapping out different pairs of glasses and addressing Jongho like he hasn’t known him for over a month and a half now. Wooyoung joins in at one point and Jongho just rolls his eyes and laughs along.

It’s Thursday morning and Jongho is tired. He came into the office a little earlier today per Hongjoong’s request and he’s already on his third cup of coffee. Yunho and Mingi come in together rowdy as ever, apparently fighting about tteokbokki flavors. 

San comes in not much later, announcing to the entirety of the office that he and Wooyoung will be having date night today and to not expect either of them to be here a single minute past five. 

Seonghwa comes in carrying a large dish of breakfast casserole. He busies himself with handing out the food and Jongho has never been much of a breakfast person, but Seonghwa’s cooking seems to be calling at him. The gooey cheese and slightly spicy sausage melts Jongho from the inside out.

Afterwards, he zones out a little, full on hearty, greasy breakfast food. He’s absentmindedly chewing on the tip of his pen thinking about his dinner plans. At about 10:30, the door opens and Jongho hears Wooyoung before he sees him. 

When the older rounds the corner to come into the office, Jongho almost doesn’t recognize him. His once black hair is now a platinum blond all the way to the roots. Following a few steps behind him is Yeosang who is solidly wearing yet another pair of glasses, but that’s not what surprises him. 

Yeosang struts into the office with his blazer thrown over his shoulder and bright red eyeshadow rimming his eyes. He’s got on an expensive looking silk button up and the Channel belt that’s wrapped around his hips screams money. 

But out of all of those things, it’s the dusty pink hair that shocks Jongho the most. 

San immediately runs over to his boyfriend and attacks him with questions and wide eyes and a few pecks here and there. Yunho and Mingi are standing on their chairs (their rolling chairs, sigh) and screaming incoherent words. Hongjoong and Seonghwa come out of their offices and stare at the commotion.

Yeosang looks straight at him, sending him a wink and then turning away. Jongho absentmindedly stares at his two co-workers. He wonders if they have specific corporate regulations about dress code because Hongjoong looks a little red in the face. And as he turns to look at Wooyoung’s newly blond hair, his pen clicks on and then he tastes the bitterness of ink in his mouth. 

Yunho and Mingi cackle at him for the rest of the morning, pointing at the black ink that just _will not_ come off of his lips. He looks like he’s wearing black lipstick on only his bottom lip. The office assistant shows up with an amused smile on her face and some lipstick, but it doesn’t really help. 

Jongho is sulking into his salad when Yunho comes into the break room during lunch. The taller man chuckles at the scene before him and Jongho just shoots him a glare. 

“Why so down, buttercup?” Yunho asks, plopping down in the chair beside his and picking a cherry tomato from his salad. Jongho groans at the nickname. 

“It’s nothing,” he tries, but it sounds empty even to his own ears. Yunho doesn’t press but he starts rambling about other things; games he’s been playing these days and when they should go to the gym again.

The ink comes off with a little rubbing alcohol and some intense swabbing. 

Jongho decides to invite everyone to his apartment for a dinner. He hands out little invitations wrapped in tiny purple bows that Wooyoung obsesses over for a full three minutes. When he hands one to the office assistant, she looks up at him with a frown. He flees before she can say anything.

When the night of the dinner rolls around, Jongho is a little frantic. He goes to pick up ingredients in the morning and then goes to get some wine, beer, and soju because he’s not sure which everyone prefers. He stops at the dry cleaners to pick up his suits and finally arrives home with a huff. 

He cleans his apartment–a small one bedroom place with a pretty nice view and a spacious living room–and opens all of the windows in hopes of letting out whatever smells were trapped. He loads new air fresheners and arranges his shoes and manages to do a small load of laundry in the process before he has to start cooking. 

Everything falls into place smoothly and as he tosses the pasta into the oven, he goes to change into more presentable clothes. 

Seonghwa is the first to arrive at 6:30, even though the invitation clearly reads 7 o’clock. Jongho greets him, a little flustered, and accepts the offerings of napkins and bruschetta. 

“I overheard you saying you’d be making pasta, so I thought I’d pitch in with some appetizers.”

Hongjoong shows up with Yunho in tow and the two bring with them three pizzas. Jongho piles the pizza on the counter where Seonghwa’s bruschetta is and then ushers them into the living room, pouring Hongjoong a glass of wine to start. Yunho makes himself at home, throwing himself onto the whole of the couch and asking Jongho to grab him a beer. Jonho rolls his eyes but makes good anyway.

Mingi and Yeosang arrive mere seconds apart. Mingi with two bottles of his favorite white wine and Yeosang with three orders of fried chicken. Everyone groans as Yeosang bounds into the apartment, screaming at the top of lungs that he’s brought chicken.

“Can you please just go a single day without eating chicken?” Hongjoong pleads. Yeosang feigns shock and then sticks his tongue out at their boss. Hongjoong just sighs in defeat and waves off the younger. 

Wooyoung and San arrive with commotion, carrying a box of pastries and another of small cake slices. Jongho hadn't even thought of making dessert so he's grateful to the pair. 

Dinner ends up being a potluck. Everyone passes around serving spoons as they pile food onto their plates. Jongho ends up pulling out paper plates instead of his regulars and everyone seems to enjoy themselves. 

Yunho and Mingi end up fighting for the last chicken leg but Yeosang ultimately ends up getting it and as they’re all wrapping up with dinner and finishing their food, Hongjoong announces that he might have had one too many glasses of wine. Mingi continues to pour more white wine into his glass though, and their boss gleefully accepts.

When dinner has wrapped up, Wooyoung claims that no dinner is sufficient without dessert. The cake slices disappear so quickly that Jongho doesn’t even know which one he ate. Yeosang pouts when all of the cake is gone and Wooyoung tries to cheer him up with a chocolate croissant. 

“It’s not cake, but it’ll do.” Yeosang accepts.

After dessert comes a roundabout conversation about Marvel superheroes. Yunho seems to be set on the fact that Spiderman is the best of the best while Hongjoong is set on Iron Man. Mingi whines that nobody appreciates Falcon or Valkyrie and Seonghwa just quietly gets up to help Jongho put away leftovers and clean up a little in the kitchen. The wine has dwindled, judging by the redness in Hongjoong and Mingi's faces, so Jongho sets out beers in a tub of ice that he'd prepared. 

When the conversation comes to an end, Yunho jumps to his feet and pulls out games from a large bag that Jongho hadn't even noticed. Halfway into explaining the rules of a competitive card game, the doorbell rings and a hush falls inside the apartment. Everyone turns to Jongho, who has absolutely no idea who might be at the door, but he goes to check anyway. 

It's a little odd, seeing the office assistant with her hair down in waves around her face and jeans instead of business casual. She's wearing a scowl on her face as she steps into the living room and Wooyoung screams at her. "Oh my god! I'm gay and I have a boyfriend but you look so pretty!"

She trusts a bottle of sweet red into Jongho's arms and thanks Wooyoung with a small smile. Hongjoong approaches her with a red faced smile and asks how she is. She carries out a simple conversation with the boss, nodding and smiling and replying politely at all the right places. Jongho slides in to ask if she's eaten and if she wants anything. It feels a little awkward to have her there, having always only been in the company of the men in their office. After about thirty minutes of talking to Hongjoong and Seonghwa and looking awkward, she rises from her perch and Jongho walks her to the door. He thanks her for coming, telling her how much it means and then she's gone. 

When he gets back to the living room, Yunho is giving him a knowing look through his bangs but Jongho just ignores him. 

The card game continues with a little less excitement than before but quickly escalates. Tension is high in the air as they sit around the coffee table, keeping their cards close. Mingi is sulking at one corner of the table, having lost all of his cards. Yunho looks close to combusting as he tries to figure out where he went wrong, clinging to the three cards left in his hands. Jongho is close to being out himself, but as he watches San and Wooyoung peeping over their cards and exchanging flirty looks while Wooyoung sweeps his bangs out of his face, he knows exactly what's happened. 

It's only two minutes later when Yunho stands up with clambour and points accusing fingers at San and Wooyoung. 

"You're cheating! I don't know how you're doing it since this was a silent game but you're cheating! I know it!"

Mingi joins the commotion, whining about unfairness and the couple look on with amused smiles on their faces but denying their charges anyway. Yeosang giggles in his seat as he watches the whole ordeal, eyes a little droopy and smile a little lazy. 

The night comes to an end with laughter and a few drunken shenanigans. San and Wooyoung are all over each other as they stumble out of the door, hands linked and flirty smiles on their faces. Hongjoong has Jongho and Seonghwa help him into his shoes as he mumbles about wanting to be a good boss and something about boundaries at which Seonghwa freezes up a little. Jongho removes himself from his side boss's quickly and Seonghwa guides the shorter man out of the apartment. 

Yeosang is knocked out, slumped against the couch when Jongho returns to the living room. Yunho and Mingi have their heads bent together and in each other's space. They're engaged in a hushed conversation and Jongho feels like he's intruding. He hovers for a little and then Mingi is standing. He runs a hand through Yunho's hair in an oddly intimate way and asks the other if he's ready to leave. Yunho reaches up and intertwines his fingers with Mingi's as he also stands. Jongho watches in mild confusion as the two of them gather their stuff, never straying too far from the other and then turn to him. They thank him for dinner and a fun time and Mingi comments on the nice lamps that he has.

Jongho feels like he's still intruding as they walk each other to the door. He watches them stumble a little and then Yunho giggles as Mingi presses into his space. When they finally make it out the door, Yunho sends him a look over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner. 

Yeosang grumbles in his sleep when Jongho makes it back to the living room, curling onto his side. He looks uncomfortable, eyebrows furrowed and a small frown on his face. 

"Hyung," Jongho calls, shaking the older by the shoulder. One eye opens blearily. 

"Are you okay on the couch? Do you wanna borrow some clothes to change into?" 

Yeosang just shakes his head and stretches out into a more comfortable position. Jongho fetches a pillow from his room and then lays a blanket over the man who mumbles a sleepy _'thank you'_ before drifting back off into sleep.

When morning comes, Yeosang seems a little embarrassed but Jongho assures him it's alright. He makes them an easy breakfast of coffee, eggs and toast and Yeosang thanks him again with a soft smile before heading home. 

At around noon he gets two separate texts. 

**Yeosang**  
_thanks for not being weird around me_

**Yunho**  
_lets get lunch kid. my treat._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha. did i mention this thing is purely self-indulgent and updates will be random?  
> this thanksgiving weekend was insane in terms of work for me so i didn't have much time to write, but here's chapter 6!  
> i hope you guys are enjoying this as much as i am. much thanks to [katie](http://www.twitter.com/kpoptrashacan).
> 
> and as always, come yell at me on twitter, [jonghhho](http://www.twitter.com/jonghhho)!


	7. vii.

Yunho takes Jongho out to lunch at a busy hole-in-the-wall place. The soondae-guk Jongho gets helps to settle his stomach after their night of alcohol. Yunho doesn't talk much as they eat and Jongho finds it all a little suspicious. He's usually boisterous and full of energy but he'd shown up in a cap and with a bandage on the junction of his neck and shoulder. Jongho asks if he's okay and Yunho just curtly nods. 

Yunho asks if he's up for gaming and Jongho thinks that Yunho might need a distraction of some sort so he says yes. They move the computer cafe just down the street and sip iced coffees as they play some game Jongho has never heard of before. It turns out he is extremely bad at the game and Yunho laughs at him every time he gets sniped, but Jongho doesn't mind. 

Yunho's phone vibrating menacingly on the desk makes Yunho miss his shot and he curses when he dies. He checks his phone as Jongho waits for them to load up another round and huffs. 

"Damn it, Mingi," he curses as he texts furiously. 

Jongho distinctly remembers feeling out of place last night as Yunho and Mingi exchanged intimate gestures. He asks, "did he get home alright last night?" 

Yunho doesn't look up at him, fingers flying over the keyboard. He seems to hesitate for a moment before answering, "he came home with me." 

Jongho is expecting the answer but actually hearing it still sends him for a loop.

"He sleeps over at yours a lot?" 

When Yunho looks back up at Jongho through his bangs, there's a contemplative gaze in his eyes. Yunho tells all as they play another few rounds of the game. 

Yunho and Mingi have been friends for eight years and friends with benefits, on-and-off-again, for five. Off when one of them is in a relationship, to which Yunho explains isn't that often. He talks about how they're almost always at each other's apartment (Mingi at Yunho's mostly because he has the nicer one). He tells Jongho about how they don't always have sex because they're most definitely friends before the _'with benefits'_ part. But he (unabashedly and without Jongho's consent) tells him that when they do have sex, it's amazing because they both know each other so well now. He also tells Jongho about how confused he's been recently. 

Mingi has always been clingy. But lately he's been overly affectionate. ("I know you saw it last night." To which Jongho nods.) 

"He wants to hold hands and always wants to cuddle and kiss when we're home and it's fine except it's not when he giggles into my mouth, which should be disgusting but it's actually really adorable, and when he calls me _'baby'_ and looks at me like I hung the moon for him." 

Jongho stops and looks over at Yunho whose fingers are still moving rapidly as he plays the game but he can tell his mind is racing. He refuses to look over at him and Jongho can tell by how red the tips of his ears are that he's much more embarrassed to be talking about this than he's letting on. 

"And most of the time when we have sex, it's fast and hard and he likes it when I toss him around, but sometimes it's slow and sensual and it drives me mad because he's so sweet and he smiles so prettily when I hit all of the right spots and he'll whisper to me how good it is and how amazing I am and it makes me feel like I want to give him the world." 

And Jongho is a little scandalized by the details of Yunho and Mingi's sex life, but as the taller keeps talking, Jongho can see his features softening and his fingers going still and Yunho just buries his face in his hands when he finishes talking. 

"I'm sorry. I know you probably don't wanna hear this," Yunho mumbles through his hands and Jongho feels an amused smile bloom on his lips. 

"I've never seen you so serious. It's kind of a nice look," Jongho replies. This earns him a quick punch to the arm from Yunho who is finally looking at him again. 

"He's still in bed at home, sending me cute pictures of himself and asking me to bring him food and it feels like we're dating but I don't-"

Yunho falters, looking down at his fingers which he's twiddling in nervousness. "I don't want my stupid feelings to get in the way of everything, especially if he doesn't feel the same way."

Jongho sighs and pats Yunho's shoulder. "Maybe you can just talk to him when you get back. Just let him know how you feel and see if he feels the same."

Yunho groans. "I know it feels daunting but are you really going to be able to say that it's alright when it obviously isn't alright? What if Mingi does feel the same and you didn't make your move and nothing ever comes of it? Are you sure you won't regret it later?"

Jongho is surprised by his own words. He's never been very good when it comes to his own feelings so he's definitely not expecting himself to be raining down wisdom like he is now. 

Yunho leaves Jongho at the subway station, claiming that he needs to pick up food for Mingi. He's walking away with his shoulders slumped and grumbling a little but Jongho wishes him luck with whatever and heads home. 

Yunho texts him later that night with a thumbs up emoji. Jongho doesn't really know what it's supposed to mean but he replies with a thumbs up of his own. 

On Monday Yunho and Mingi come into the office together. Nothing seems special about their entrance nor their actions and Jongho tries to catch Yunho's eyes all morning but the older seems to be ignoring him. 

He ends up cornering Yunho before lunch in the break room. The older seems to be set on ignoring him until a smile spreads on his face when the door of the break room opens and Mingi steps in. 

Yunho flees from Jongho's stare and runs over to Mingi who's got a confused look on his face. Yunho obviously doesn't see Wooyoung and Yeosang just behind Mingi nor does he think any of this through as he leans in to kiss Mingi. The other accepts the kiss with a confused smile but holds the tallest close. 

And that's how the whole office finds out. Yunho and Mingi are showered with shouting and yelling and even a small applaud from Siyeon, the office assistant who looks on with an amused smile on her face. Hongjoong calls the new couple into his office (with Seonghwa) and when they come out, Wooyoung and San immediately pounce on them. No one gets much work done for the rest of the afternoon as Yunho and Mingi divulge on their relationship. 

That night, Jongho has dinner with Yeosang, the older turning to him as they all pack up their things for the day and asking if he has plans. They go to a small but pretty Japanese restaurant that's tucked away in an alley and Jongho gapes a little as Yeosang orders for them in fluent Japanese. 

The meat is tender and the broth is hearty and Jongho has to take a breather in the middle of eating. Yeosang smiles the whole time too as he tells Jongho about living in Japan when he went to college there. He tells him about how one year of studying abroad turned into three years of living there and eventually graduating from the Japanese campus. He tells him about some of the things that happened to him during nights out in Osaka and about some of the not so great things, like balancing work and school.

Jongho reciprocates with tales about his Japanese classes in college although it seems menial compared to Yeosang’s level of fluency. Jongho tells the older about accidentally skipping three kanji exams in a row and almost failing his second year and the older laughs with his whole chest, throwing his head back and immersing himself in the story. 

He’s grateful that nothing is awkward between them even after the embarrassment lap dance incident and Yeosang seems to feel the same as he says, “thanks for being cool with everything.” 

It’s nearing the end of the night when Yeosang yelps, looking up behind Jongho. A figure comes into view, walking straight toward their table. It’s a tall guy, handsome in a rugged way. He’s got a long coat on and with his hair swept up out of his face, he looks like a dashing actor or a to-die-for idol. 

“Hey Yeosang, long time no see,” the man says as he stops at their table.

Yeosang smiles up at the guy, politely accepting the greeting with his own. Jongho looks between the two men and realizes that there’s a tension in their interaction. 

“You look good these days,” the other man says and immediately Jongho can tell Yeosang is uncomfortable. Nothing changes in the polite smile he’s giving the other man or the vague but good-natured conversation they’re having, but there’s something in the air that doesn’t feel quite right.

The man goes to sit just a few tables away from them and Yeosang turns back to Jongho with wide eyes. “Ex-boyfriend alert.”

Jongho can’t say he’s surprised that the other has dated such a dashing man because Yeosang also possess one of those too-good-to-be-real faces. He is ,however, surprised by how nervous Yeosang seems to be with the other man around.

“You want dessert?” the older asks, and although it’s out of the blue, Jongho just agrees.

Dessert consists of dango and peach smoothies. It’s the perfect level of sweetness that Jongho can enjoy, but he’s having a hard time with the way Yeosang seems to be glowering at his ex that’s sitting just out of earshot. 

It’s obvious that the man is just here with friendly company with the way they seem to be chatting comfortably. Jongho tries to decipher the expression written on Yeosang’s face but fails.

“Still have feelings or something?” Jongho asks, cautiously. Yeosang whips his head up with alarm. 

“Lingering feelings for _that?_ Oh honey, you’ve read the situation wrong,” Yeosang comments with a look on his face as if his smoothie tastes like lead. 

The older leans in with a hand cupped around his mouth. “He was the worst guy I’ve ever dated. A narcissist with a temper to match his nasty personality.” 

He leans back in his seat, a sour look on his face. “I don’t know what I ever saw in him. Probably just his big dick.” 

Jongho almost chokes, but manages to keep his composure as Yeosang shoots him a devilish look.

“Would you be interested in playing along with me?” The older asks. He pouts and huffs before continuing. “I just want him to know that I absolutely do not miss him one bit. I want him to look at me and know that we’re absolutely over, even if it has been almost a year now.” 

It’s really a mystery why Jongho agrees and an even more of a mystery as to how Jongho got himself into the situation he’s in now. Immediately Yeosang had grabbed his hand over the table and started fiddling with his fingers with a shy smile on his face. 

Jongho doesn’t mind the mild gesture, playing along and tilting his head to the side and giving Yeosang what he thinks might be a loving look. He feels a little proud when Yeosang raises an eyebrow as he raises the last dango and feeds it to him. It makes him blush but the low lights in the restaurant probably hide it. 

It's only a few moments of Yeosang smiling at him with soft eyes and Jongho reaching over to fluff the older's hair a little. When they get up to leave, he can distinctly see the man watching the two of them. Jongho puts an arm around Yeosang's waist and leads him out of the restaurant. 

When they're outside, the older turns to Jongho with the biggest smile. "You should have seen his face. Fucker was jealous as hell."

Jongho has never heard Yeosang curse before but in some odd way it suits his laid-back, sarcastic personality. 

"Thanks for that," Yeosang begins but stops as he looks behind Jongho and curses. 

"He's coming outside," the older says, immediately stepping back into Jongho's space. He catches the older by the waist again, pressing closer than he probably should. 

At this, Yeosang raises an eyebrow. There's a mischievous glint in his eyes as he glances behind Jongho once more. A second passes where Jongho watches Yeosang's eyes travel from his own down to his lips, and he swears he can see the lightbulb flickering on in the older's brain. A slight smile passes over his features and then there are hands cupping his jaws. 

It takes a minute for Jongho to realize what's happening. His body instinctively curls in towards the older's as he feels warmth on his lips and he closes his eyes. Yeosang's breath tickles his chin and they hold it for just a second, but it must be enough because when Yeosang pulls back and Jongho lets go, the other man in nowhere in sight. 

"Wha-" Jongho stammers but is met with a fit of giggles from the pink haired man. 

The next day, Wooyoung, Yeosang and San are waiting for him in the break room. Wooyoung sits him down and explains the importance of thumbs and Jongho is very confused until he sees Wooyoung cupping Yeosang's jaws and placing his two thumbs over Yeosang's lips before leaning in and connecting his own lips to the two thumbs. 

San barks as Wooyoung pulls away, but Jongho understands. He realizes that the warmth he felt wasn't Yeosang'a lips, but his thumbs. A 'stage kiss' is what Wooyoung calls it. He does it again and this time San kicks up from his chair and whines loudly. Wooyoung turns to his boyfriend and pulls him back down into the seat before placing a quick peck on his lips. 

When Seonghwa walks in as Yeosang goes in for a kiss with Wooyoung, he stops in his tracks. His gaze lands on each of them for half a second and then he turns back around and sighs before exiting again. 

"Nope. I don't wanna know," they hear him say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a while since i updated this but i hope you guys are still here with me!  
> i also hope you guys like how everything is turning out!  
> as always, much thanks to [katie](http://www.twitter.com/kpoptrashacan) for all the wonderful ideas and for beta-ing!  
> please leave me comments, it really helps a lot!
> 
> and finally, come tell at me on twitter, [jonghhho](http://www.twitter.com/jonghhho)!


	8. viii.

The holidays are just around the corner and being in an office setting does nothing to damper the excitement of Christmas and the new year that's coming up quickly. On the Wednesday of their second to last week before the holiday vacation, Seonghwa comes in with a fresh batch of snickerdoodle cookies and announces that their annual Christmas party will take place the next Friday. Everyone perks up in excitement until he mentions that the mandatory dress code for the office during the day will be: ugly Christmas sweaters.

Grumbling ripples through the small office and even Hongjoong seems to hate the idea a little, turning to Seonghwa and asking, “maybe it can be preferred dress code or something?” 

The only one who doesn’t seem to be opposed to the idea of ugly sweaters is Yeosang, but Jongho has an inkling that it’s probably due to the fact that Yeosang can pull off anything and everything without accidentally meaning to look like a potato or beet soup.

Seonghwa doesn’t budge though and Hongjoong leaves it at that, returning to his office. Yunho and Mingi have their heads bent together, trying to figure out how to get out of wearing ugly sweaters while Wooyoung and San have their heads bent together, figuring out how to make sure they have the absolute _ugliest_ sweaters.

Friday comes all too quickly for Jongho and although he’s managed to dig out an old Christmas sweater from the depths of his drawers from a few years back in college, he’s not sure what to expect at the company party. 

When Jongho walks into work, he’s greeted by a small but beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the corner of the room and the office assistant wearing a fluffy looking santa hat. She doesn’t look all that happy about it, but she does greet him with a sort-of-smile and hands him a small bag of intricately iced Christmas cookies. (“Courtesy of Manager Park,” she says.)

He’s got his ugly sweater on over a blue button down and has managed to not look like a total disaster and as he walks further into the space, he realizes that there are garlands hanging on the walls and the subtle scent of pine and cinnamon fill the entire place. There are also small, ribbon topped boxes sitting on everyone’s desk and Jongho almost balks at the details behind everything he’s being presented with. 

Inside the box are an assortment of candies, a company branded mug and magnets as well as a small piece of folded paper. When Jongho opens in, he reads and note, scrawled in Hongjoong’s neat handwriting.

_your yearly bonus should arrive in your account next week ^^_

Jongho isn’t even aware that he gets a yearly bonus, but he’ll take it if offered. 

The others trickle in only a few minutes later. Yunho and Mingi have on inconspicuous matching sweaters with cute snowmen stitched on the left breast and although Seonghwa doesn’t seem impressed, he doesn’t seem to be disapproving either. 

Yeosang walks in with a full set of reindeer antlers and an odd sweater with a pixelated christmas tree and real bells hanging from the branches. Seonghwa seems to approve verily and gives the younger a small pat on the head as he passes. 

When Wooyoung and San walk in, Jongho expects to be attacked with cackling and a showing off of their sweaters, but he finds the two striding in with actually half-decent sweaters on. San has a pretty cute sweater with a white cat and the caption ‘meowy Christmas’ on his and Wooyoung has an odd sweater that has a drawing on what Jongho presumes is Jesus with a party hat on and the caption, ‘birthday boy.’ 

Mingi seems to take Wooyoung’s sweater to heart and bellows out in hysterical laughter while Yunho looks on at him in a weirdly gross and loving way. Seonghwa smugly pats the two of them on the head as well before he returns to his office with a grin on his face and a small skip in his step. 

Jongho doesn't even realize Hongjoong isnt in his office until he strolls in with a God-awful sweater with pugs in tiny Santa hats on it around noon. He briskly says his 'hellos' to everyone and Jongho watched as their boss goes to hold open the door for a team of caterers. 

Mingi immediately jumps up from his desk with a gleeful yell and Seonghwa emerges from his office to see what all the commotion is about. Jongho can smell hearty meat and sauces as the caterers carry trays of food into their conference room. Hongjoong smiles so wide Jongho can practically see all of his teeth. San and Wooyoung Wooyoung about ready to jump over their desks as Yeosang closes his eyes and takes in the appetizing smells that surround them. 

"Compliments of higher management," Hongjoong announces, holding up a copy of a receipt and a letter from the corporate office. 

Their lunch break officially starts off with a clamour and a race to get first pick on the braised beef and pork cutlet. Jongho finds himself at a table in the break room with Yeosang on one side and the office assistant on the other after he's made himself a plate. A tense silence surrounds them as Yeosang tells Siyeon he likes her hat and she reciprocates with "your antlers are nice." Jongho almost spits out his coke as Yeosang gapes at her. 

He leans over to Jongho a few moments later and whispers, "I don't think I've ever heard her talk before?"

Jongho gawks at the older and they have a heated whisper-discussion about how Yeosang makes the most copies out of all of them and surely she's said a few words to him after all these years. 

Lunch decidedly comes to an end when Mingi accidentally knocks the barbecue sauce off the table and it splatters _everywhere_. Seonghwa makes a face that seems to frighten just about everyone as Jongho and Yeosang both get up to move away from the danger zone. San and Wooyoung also scuttle away and even Hongjoong makes for the door with his fresh mug of coffee in tow. Yunho groans but goes to fetch the wet wipes while Mingi stands there and whines about how the sauce is on his socks. 

The rest of the afternoon passes quickly but uneventfully. The thrum of excitement heightens as time passes and San and Wooyoung eventually stop doing any work in favor of talking animatedly and playing with each other's hair. Yeosang joins in at some point and with the constant chatter and thrum of energy surging through the office, Jongho finds it hard for even himself to focus. 

When five o'clock rolls around, Seonghwa strolls out of his office and announces that everyone should be coming to the designated location by seven. He starts mentioning that if they have a plus one, they should let him know asap, but he stops midway, glancing from San and Wooyoung to Yunho and Mingi and then looks pointedly at Jongho. 

"Let me know if you're bringing anyone," he says and makes his way out. Jongho feels his face turning red at the blatant address but Yeosang pipes up with an offended frown. 

"I'm single too!" 

"Me too, Park Seonghwa!" Comes Hongjoong's voice from behind his half-closed door. 

Around six Yeosang arrives at Jongho's apartment with a fitted lavender suit and a billowy black silk button up. His black suede shoes look expensive without a single dust particle on the surface. Jongho looks down at his own black suit and silky purple button up and grimaces. 

"Great minds think alike, no?" Yeosang comments, shooting him a wink and settling on one of the barstools. 

"Should I change?" Jongho asks, going to unbutton his shirt but Yeosang tuts at him, raising a quelling hand.

"No." He pointedly says. "And as much as I'd like to see you shirtless, I'd much rather us actually make it to the party first." 

Jongho feels himself flush to the tips of his ears. The older is smirking at him now. "But afterwards, if you would like to invite me back, I would be much more inclined."

He laughs as Jongho scrambles to find his jacket that's haphazardly thrown over one of the arms of the couch and grabs the keys to the car he'd borrowed from one of his close friends. It probably hadn't been such a good idea, to borrow the car, because he's 90% sure that he's going to end up not being able to walk straight two hours in, but since the warehouse isn't exactly in walking distance from whatever the closest bus station is, he figured it would be cheaper to hire a driver to take them back than to take a taxi both ways. 

Yeosang settles into the passenger's seat and starts fiddling with the radio as Jongho pulls out of the underground deck and punches in the address into the built in navigation system. 

The flipped warehouse where the party is taking place has a nice, rustic air about it as Jongho pulls into the large parking lot. There must be other events going on, because the lot of packed and it takes a few laps to find a space to park. The weather outside is a bit more gloomy and wet than earlier so they try to get inside quickly, without ruining Yeosang's shoes. 

There's a bouncer at the entrance of warehouse number 2 who looks more cold than intimidating. He asks for their invitations (which had been mailed out and arrived to each of them exactly on the Wednesday Seonghwa had announced the party). The bouncer takes a glance and ushers them inside. A pretty girl just inside the door asks to take their jackets and while Jongho obliges, Yeosang declines, mumbling something about how the fit of the jacket would compliment his shirt. 

The hallway outside of the main room is thrumming from the music playing within and Yeosang seems to perk up even more at the feeling of the bass reverberating in his chest. He watches in fascination as the older skips a little as he reaches the door leading into the main area. Jongho doesn't expect the doors to open for them but when they do, he cant help the way his jaw drops as he gapes at the room below them.

All the walls are draped in deep blue velvet curtains and the floors are covered in something akin to gold. A giant crystal chandelier hangs from the otherwise stripped industrial ceiling that in a way it matches the oddly modern aesthetic. The warehouse isn’t necessarily big but neither is their party. 

Yeosang leads the way down the stairs and onto the main floor. Jongho lets out a breath at the minuscule gold accents on the blue curtains and has to mentally chide himself for wanting to touch. When the reach the floor, everyone is already there and it takes a moment but Jongho realizes there are a few more heads than usual in the fray. 

“Yeosangie!” Wooyoung’s shrill shout pierces through the heavy bass of the rap song playing in the background. The slightly shorter comes bounding up to his friend and throws his arms around the other. Yeosang accepts with a less enthusiastic greeting. 

“You should have ridden with us! But also, I’m glad you didn’t because Yunho is a horrible driver,” Wooyoung chatters idly, dragging Yeosang away from Jongho and to the bar on one side of the room that’s lit with iridescent blue lights. Everything in the warehouse looks awfully expensive. 

“I’m not a terrible driver!” Yunho’s voice comes much closer to Jongho than he’d realized. A long arm throws itself around Jongho’s shoulders and he looks up to greet the culprit. Yunho smiles down at him big and goofily. 

“Let me introduce you to some of our friends,” Yunho says. 

Jongho is dragged away and a flute of champagne is thrust into his hand as he goes. He meets an incredibly pretty man by the name of Hwanwoong and another with a deep voice named Gunhak.

The beginning of the night goes like this. Jongho gets tossed around from Yunho to Mingi, to Hongjoong of all people who introduces him to a man named Byounggon who grins at Jongho. San snatches him away to take shots of tequila with Wooyoung who screams as the alcohol burns down his throat. 

Eventually Jongho makes it to Seonghwa who is sitting one of the the expensive beige chaise lounges. For having planned such an extravagant party, he looks a little worn. Jongho slides into the seat next to him and offers up his glass of coke and rum. Seonghwa clings his own glass to his and chuckles a little. 

"Everything is really amazing, you know," Jongho says, taking a sip of his drink and glancing at the older. Seonghwa mumbles a small 'thanks' and goes back to a steady silence. 

Jongho catches the older glancing around. His eyes linger on Yunho and Mingi who are causing a ruckus at the poker table and he chuckles. He plans over the room at their newcomers at the bar and at Yeosang who is swaying lethargically with San and Wooyoung in the middle of the room and then lands on the two men conversing quietly at the bar.

The boss's head is bent close to his plus one's. A lithe smile decorates the other man's lips as he gazes down at Hongjoong in something a little more than friendship. Jongho glances back at Seonghwa who is still staring blatantly, eyebrows pulled into a sour frown which then fades into something different, more mellow and less blatant. But Jongho understands. He looks back to Hongjoong, oblivious to his surroundings and the hand that's settled comfortably on his hip and then stands. 

"Come on," Jongho nudges. He puts a hand on Seonghwa's shoulder and coaxes him into standing. The older looks a little confused but goes along with it anyway. 

"I'm gonna show you how to make Mingi cry,” Jongho says and proceeds to drag Seonghwa over to the poker table. 

It’s an hour and four glasses of champagne later that Mingi truly does look like he’s about to be in tears. His last few chips are clenched in one hand and he’s gripping Yunho’s hand in the other so hard that his knuckles are white. Yunho doesn’t seem to care though as he bites his lip and watches the game unfold. 

A sort of nervous tension surrounds the table as Jongho and Mingi stare down at each other. Everyone else had folded a few rounds ago and hadn’t wanted to jump back in, but Mingi is stubborn. Seonghwa stands just behind Jongho, hands clenching and un-clenching at his shoulders in excitement as he, too, watches the game with bated breath. 

The last round of cards are dealt and without even looking at his hand, Jongho slides in the rest of his chips. It’s a considerable amount, given that Seonghwa and Yeosang had both given him their share. Mingi balks at his actions, contemplating for a moment too long and with a defeated groan, folds. 

Jongho whistles, thumbing at his cards. “Tough luck.” When he reveals his cards, there’s nothing—not a pair, not a full house, just absolutely nothing.

Shouts ring out and Mingi stands from his seat in fury, face going red and unintelligible words spewing from his mouth. Yunho coddles the sore loser, pulling the other in for a hug and laughing at his boyfriend’s antics. 

When Jongho turns around, Seonghwa is grinning at him so big that he feels his own cheeks hurt (or maybe he's grinning hugely too). "Where did you learn to do that?" The older asks and Jongho shrugs. 

"You know," he replies, "college."

He's relieved to see the older smiling genuinely and is glad that he could cause a distraction, as little as it might have been. He's surrounded by Yeosang and Wooyoung too, who both are asking him about which prizes he's going to trade his chip in for. He doesn't really mind them much and looks around them in search of the boss. 

He's surprised to see that Hongjoong is actually standing by Yunho and Mingi, smiling up at the two tallest as Mingi pouts into Yunho's neck. Seonghwa seems to see the boss unoccupied too and Jongho watches with a fond smile as he makes his way over. The way he gently cups Hongjoong's elbow top get his attention has a little too much meaning to Jongho now and so he looks away. 

He's dragged over to the bar again, this time by Yeosang, who seems to be giggling more than actually talking. Wooyoung joins them with Seonghwa in tow and they proceed to down shots of whiskey. 

A slightly drunk Yunho drags an even more drunk Mingi into the middle of the room and they dance against each other in an oddly innocent yet still entirely lewd fashion. Hongjoong squawks at the two, cheeks rosy with the heat of alcohol in his veins but Seonghwa mutters at him to just let them be. Eventually San and Wooyoung join the fray and Jongho's cheeks heat when Yeosang gingerly pulls him into the crowd. Even their newcomers seem to be enjoying the party, although he doesn't see the boss's plus one anywhere.

It's some time later Jongho notices that Mingi has disappeared but Seonghwa and Hongjoong are both also swaying to the music, a little too close in proximity in Jongho’s opinion. He watches as the two of them, the two heads of their branch lean in to whisper into each other’s ears and watches as Seonghwa looks down at the shorter with twinkling eyes and Hongjoong throws his head back in a garbled chuckle that shakes his frame. Maybe he’s reading into the situation too much, or maybe it’s the alcohol flowing through his veins, but he swears he sees Hongjoong bite his lip when his gaze lands back on Seonghwa. 

The night is winding down, the time ticking closer to midnight, and Jongho has a pleasant buzz running through his system when he finally plops down onto one of the chaises and relaxes into the cushions. It seems like he’s been watching everyone all night, but he doesn’t mind. He’s always been more of the observant type.

He sees Yunho and Mingi filthily making out in the corner of his eye and tears his gaze away from them. His eyes skirt over Wooyoung who’s got San’s head in his lap, the latter sitting on the cold concrete floor instead of on an actual seat. Wooyoung is winding his hands through the strands of San’s hair and smiling as the other rattles on about something. 

He finds Yeosang engaged in one last round of poker against Mingi and Yunho’s plus ones who he’s honestly surprised had even stayed so long. Then he finally finds Seonghwa and Hongjoong, standing off to the side, leaning against the large windows that line the outer wall and talking quietly. 

There must be a lull in the conversation, as Seonghwa takes a sip from the water bottle he’s cradling in his hand and then he watches as Hongjoong points upward. It’s then that Jongho notices at the crest of every window archway, there’s a mistletoe nestled snugly to the frame of the window. Seonghwa looks to where Hongjoong is pointing and then looks back down at him in confusion.

Jongho doubts Seonghwa understands Hongjoong’s innuendo, as the tradition is of western origin. He watches, enraptured, as Hongjoong leans in and presumably explains the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe. Seonghwa’s face goes red and he looks down at Hongjoong with wide eyes and the boss throws his head back to laugh loudly. He hears a quick “I’m just kidding,” before he sees Hongjoong grab Seonghwa’s wrist and pull him away from the window. 

He looks away to avoid being caught watching the entirety of the interaction and yelps when he sees Yeosang lounging beside him, head turned to him and a smile grazing his lips. 

“You seemed very entertained by our boss’s terrible pick-up job,” Yeosang comments, raising a hand to flick at Jongho’s chin. His gaze is soft, yet smoldering and Jongho feels himself suffocating under the intense eyes. 

“You look really good in purple,” Yeosang adds, running a hand down the buttons of his shirt and giggling at the way Jongho shivers at the contact. He feels a flush creeping up on his face and wonders if it’ll come through over the flush of alcohol but Yeosang doesn’t seem to notice. He doesn’t let up though and continues to trace patterns into the fabric of his shirt. 

“You know, I know about that thing; the mistletoe,” he then says, nodding toward the windows where Seonghwa and Hongjoong had been just a while before. Jongho glances back at them too and feels Yeosang move a little closer to his side. He almost jumps at the proximity. 

“Maybe we should check it out, see if there’s a spark when our lips touch.”

There’s a pleasant lull to Yeosang’s voice, deep and reverberating in his ears a little (or maybe that’s just the alcohol making his brain fuzzy). He glances down at the older’s hooded eyes and then down further at the slight glistening of his lips and wonders if he’s wearing lipgloss. He wonders is he tastes of alcohol or whatever flavor the balm on his lips is and then as if to spite him, Yeosang bites a little at his bottom lip. 

When Jongho focuses back on the situation at hand, he realizes they’re much closer than he thinks they are and that the older’s hand is slightly fisted in the collar of his shirt. The sly smile on his lips tells Jongho that he’s most likely just trying to rile him up, but he can’t seem to pull away. 

Then, as if reading his mind, Yeosang is the one who pulls away. He stands with a sigh and pouts down at Jongho as he turns back to him. 

“Only if you were into men,” the older sighs, almost too dramatically and proceeds to walk away. 

He feels like he’s in some sort of trance, watching Yeosang walk away toward the stairs. He subtly notices the others also making their way to the exit, throwing arms around each others’ shoulders and helping each other not stumble. He’s only shaken from his train of thoughtlessness when he feels a hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly. 

“Time’s up, kid,” Yunho’s voice comes. When Jongho looks up, the older is looking down at him with a soft, dopey smile. His lips are bruised and red and his hair is a little disheveled, and there’s a knowing glint in his eyes that Jongho chooses to ignore. 

The drivers arrive promptly and Jongho watches as Yunho and Mingi and their party clamber into their car. They wave out the window a little too enthusiastically as they pull away. Seonghwa, Hongjoong, Wooyoung and San call for a cab and wave to Jongho in assurance. 

“I’ve got them, don’t worry,” Seonghwa says, a hand wrapped around Wooyoung’s wrist as the younger clings to San’s frame and an arm tucked gingerly around Hongjoong’s waist, cradling the shorter man close. 

Something about the picture screams at Jongho. He wants to ask if Seonghwa is alright. He wants to make sure that the older doesn’t frown like he’d been earlier. He wants to know that everything will be alright and he wants to not worry about it, but Yeosang tugs at his sleeve, nodding to the car and the driver settled behind the wheel. He nods, hopefully reassuringly at the four of them and then turns away.

He watches as Yeosang climbs into the back of the car with a giggle. For all intents and purposes, Jongho doesn’t mean to become Yeosang’s pillow, but as he settles into the backseat following the older, he finds Yeosang’s head cradled in his lap, a hand running soothingly through his pink locks. 

“You’re so good,” Yeosang mumbles into his thigh, nuzzling a little closer and humming contently. 

It occurs to Jongho that he doesn’t know where the older lives, nor does he think he’ll be able to make it back to his place on his own so he tells the driver to take them to his apartment. He ignores the wide eyed look the driver shoots the two of them every now and again and when they arrive, he makes sure to tip the man a little extra.

Jongho tucks the older into his bed instead of the couch this time, chuckling as the older mumbles about how warm Jongho is and whines a little when he moves away. 

“You can sleep here if you want, I don’t bite you know,” the older says, looking up at him with sleepy eyes. Jongho stops just a foot from the bed. He watches Yeosang patting at the empty side of the bed, a small smile on his lips. 

Jongho’s brain is racing. It’s not like he hasn’t shared a bed with others before, he most certainly has. Platonic bed sharing, isn’t something to be so hung up about, right? But he is. He’s hung up about it because Yeosang is looking at him with hooded eyes and a slight smirk and his heart is going to beat out of his chest if he stays there any longer. 

“I-” he starts, but the older must get impatient.

“Or not! I’ll gladly take the whole bed to myself.” He proceeds to sprawl out, spread eagle in the center of the bed, face smushed into the pillows and humming contentedly. Jongho decides it’s for the best and that it’s time to leave.

“Okay, goodnight,” he calls and hurriedly moves out of the room. 

He lies awake on the couch for what seems like hours, but he’s sure it’s only a few minutes. If he dreams about pink lips and pink hair, he doesn’t remember in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you guys, what's happening? why do my chapters keep getting longer and longer?
> 
> anyways, i just wanted to firstly apologize for neglecting this story for so long T.T  
> this freaking christmas party took me ages to write because well...it's not christmas anymore....  
> i'll probably be wrapping up this story soon since i have a lot of other wips i wanna start really working on, so stay tuned for more stories from me!
> 
> as always, feel free to come yell at me on twitter, [jonghhho](http://www.twitter.com/jonghhho)!


	9. ix.

They get almost two weeks of PTO and Jongho is shy to admit that he's having a blast. He's usually playing Smash with Yunho (and occasionally Mingi, who pouts because he's absolutely abysmal at it) and even goes to eat dinner with San and Wooyoung one night. They're far less couple-y than Yunho and Mingi, which is a relief for Jongho. He can only stand so much of the cuddling and kissing and playing with Yunho's dog to distract himself from whatever the two are doing on the couch. 

Everything is going well and he's glad to be able to sleep in some. But when Yeosang texts him during the second week, Jongho all but flies out of bed. 

_i'm coming over  
i hope you're dressed  
or not ;)_

Grabbing the towel he left hanging on the doorknob last night, he hurries into the bathroom to wash his hair and brush his teeth. He frantically searches through his wardrobe and begins to pull on a button up shirt. And then he stops himself. Why is he so worked up? Why is he putting on a button up? 

With furrowed brows, he peels off the shirt and pulls on a plain black shirt and then a pair of comfy jeans. He’s just gotten his hair dry when there’s a knock on the door. 

Jongho looks at himself in the mirror and gives himself a terrible pep talk. 

“You’re good. You’re good. It’s just a co-worker coming in to check on you. It’s just Yeosang. It’s Yeosang…” 

It doesn’t turn out the way he wants, but he’s running out of time. A second knock comes and Jongho almost jumps. “Coming!” 

When he opens the door, he’s greeted with Yeosang in tight fitting, acid-wash jeans and a pink sweater. He’s got glasses on, his hair is fluffy from the wind and Jongho feels himself blinking a little too rapidly. 

“Can I come in?” The older asks, lips quirked up into a slight smile. Jongho hurries out of the way and Yeosang steps past him. He’s wearing a soft scented perfume or cologne and Jongho inhales it a little longingly. He smells incredibly good. 

“So, what have you been doing?” Yeosang asks, putting down a bag of something on the kitchen counter. 

Jongho doesn’t respond right away, contemplating if he should tell Yeosang about how he has only gotten food delivered for the past three days, or that he’s too lazy to wash his sheets. And then he just decides on the most boring response. “Not much. You?” 

Yeosang turns to him, frown on his lips and looking—for the lack of a better term—adorable. Jongho blinks a few times, trying to calm the beating of his heart and the strange roaring in his ears. He watches as the older hums as little before going back to the task at hand. He produces a few different types of bread from the bag and then pulls out some packages that Jongho doesn’t recognize. 

“I saw these at the bakery and thought we might give them a try. Though, I don’t much like coffee.” Yeosang moves to busy himself, filling up the electric kettle like he’s been at Jongho’s house a hundred times. 

Jongho moves to examine the package and realizes they’re make-at-home Vietnamese coffee drip packs. He’s too busy reading the label and trying to figure out what the English scrawled on the side says that he doesn’t realize Yeosang is standing right beside him until the older reaches over and snatches the packet out of Joongho’s hands. 

“Don’t bother, I know we both suck at English,” he says and Jongho finds himself at a loss for words because Yeosang is _so close_ and _has he always been shorter than him_? The older smiles angel-like and turns the package over to the other side where instructions are written in Japanese. “Now, this I can read.” 

It takes only a few minutes in which Yeosang tells Jongho what to do when the water boils. A few minutes later, the two are leaning over the counter, watching the slow drip of coffee from the paper filter fitting on top of a tall glass. “Hm, thought it would be cooler,” Yeosang comments before walking around and throwing himself onto the counter. He opens a package of bread and chomps down into it unceremoniously. Jongho definitely doesn’t stare at the cream that clings to the corner of the older’s mouth.

In a weird turn of events, Jongho finds himself in Yeosang's company much more after that. The older invites himself over, lounging around in Jongho's living room, occasionally slipping into his bedroom and giving him a heart attack, not that he minds really but the sudden dropping in his stomach is really not something he's sure he wants to deal with every other hour. 

Despite the suddenness of the situation, Jongho finds that it's not unwelcome. On the contrary, he rather likes having the older around making cheeky remarks when Jongho cooks lunch for them or yelling in his ear as they play video games with Yunho and Mingi as their opponents. It's a good time, even if Jongho can't figure out why any of this is happening and why he feels so entirely helpless whenever Yeosang does something cute (like that one time he sulked for ten minutes straight after finding out they were out of banana milk).

Jongho spends the last few days of his time off with the older. They venture to a pretty remote dog cafe where Jongho is absolutely smitten by all of the cute dogs but is much more interested in the way Yeosang smiles so big and he lets the dogs tackle him into the ground. 

Another day, the older drags Jongho out of his apartment to go watch a movie. Jongho has absolutely no idea what the movie is about, too preoccupied with the way Yeosang seemed to lean into him and the way their hands brushed occasionally as they both reached for the popcorn at the same time. When Yeosang asks about the movie afterwards, Jongho just sheepishly smiles and says he was distracted which earns him a punch in the arm and a glare from the older that’s cuter than he’d probably meant it to be. 

On the last day before the official first day of work, Yunho and Mingi invite them out for laser tag. Yunho is bouncing in his steps when they meet the couple in front of the building and Mingi looks on with adoration in his eyes. Yeosang feigns gagging and rolls his eyes as they follow the couple inside.

The arena is huge and bathed in darkness and blue lights. Jongho hasn’t played laser tag in years, but he remembers the basics. They’re geared up and when Jongho steps out from behind the booth, he catches Yeosang’s eyes raking down his body. A shiver runs through him at the realization that the older is shamelessly checking him out and when their eyes meet, Jongho nearly has a heart attack when the other smirks before he steps into the arena. 

Yunho and Mingi play strategically, obviously having played together on many occasions. Yeosang is fearless, taking the offensive when able and directing Jongho and planning attacks (that mostly fail). 

At one point the two are ambushed into a corner, hiding behind a small obstacle, pressed close and breaths mingling. Jongho doesn’t miss the way Yeosang is slightly panting for breath and the warmth of his body so close. They can hear the other two stalking about just around the corner, whispering to each other. 

“You’re shit at this, newbie,” Yeosang chooses then to speak, pouting a little and glancing around the corner. Jongho just chuckles nervously and shifts a little, jostling them both in the small space and making Yeosang fall a little into his lap. 

The gears in his brain all but stop moving as his hands come up and grasp the older’s hips to steady him. Yeosang lets out a loud gasp himself, hands shooting out to grab onto Jongho’s shoulders, and when all is said and done, they’re left in a compromising position, Yeosang perched in Jongho’s lap and their heads bent too close together. 

There’s a roaring in his ears as blood rushes to color his cheeks and he can’t help but let his eyes travel to the older’s pretty lips, bathed in the dark blue lights, but still shiny with whatever gloss or lip balm he’d applied beforehand. Yeosang follows the movement of his eyes and for a brief moment, Jongho sees a smile pass on his features. Then the older is leaning in, closer and closer until Jongho feels warmth on his own lips for just a second. And then it’s over. 

Yeosang doesn’t even look back as he pushes to his feet and barrels out of their hiding spot, immediately getting pummeled with shots from the two giants waiting for them just around the corner, but Jongho sits frozen in the corner, heart threatening to beat out of his chest and a fierce tingling in his lips, travelling down his spine and spreading to his fingertips. 

Laser tag comes to an uneventful end sometime later with Yunho and Mingi panting and Yeosang seemingly normal and Jongho completely flustered and unfocused. 

“Are you okay?” Mingi asks when the four of them stop to get dinner and Jongho just gives a weak smile and digs into his food, not looking over at the pink haired man sitting just across from him. 

They return to work like nothing happened. The feeling of the older’s lips on his own hasn’t faded, but Jongho finds he’s definitely too flustered to say anything about it. Yeosang seems to have forgotten about the entire ordeal, laughing and joking casually with Wooyoung again. He’s got glitter around his eyes today that makes Jongho want to kiss him...or cry (he hasn’t really figured out which yet). 

And it isn’t until the end of the day that Jongho finally manages to look up and catch Yeosang’s eyes. The older is resolutely staring at him over his computer screen, the end of a sparkly pink pen between his teeth and and head tilted just a little. Jongho tries to hold his gaze for as long as possible, but he finds himself looking away, color rushing to his cheeks and the memory of those lips against his. 

They don’t verbally say anything, but Yeosang waits for Jongho outside of the office building, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his light wash jeans and breath coming out white in the chill of the January evening. 

“Wanna talk?” The older asks when Jongho steps up to him. He nods, following the pink haired man as he leads them to a now familiar Japanese restaurant—Yeosang's favorite in town, in fact. 

They settle on a low table on tatami mats, Jongho lets Yeosang order for him in near perfect Japanese. The owners of the small place seem to know him well, joking with him about something that Jongho only barely manages to catch onto with his pretty limited knowledge of the language. It's not awkward per se, but Jongho shifts a little uneasily, not knowing what to do with his hands or where to look. Eventually he settles for looking at the man in front of him whose gaze is turned toward him as well. 

"Are you mad at me?" Yeosang asks, his voice uncharacteristically small. Jongho frowns.

"No."

"Are you...uncomfortable because of what happened?"

Jongho shakes his head. He's not sure what he is—a little numb maybe but very confused and slightly enamoured by it all. "I'm confused."

Yeosang seems to understand, nodding and going silent. Their food arrives, steaming noodles and seared beef placed in between them to break up the tension somewhat. Jongho doesn't reach for his chopsticks though. 

"I'm sorry if I did something to make you uncomfortable. It just...seemed like it's what you wanted at that moment and I might have overstepped the line," the older explains, ducking his head and looking sullen. Jongho just purses his lips, searching for the right words. 

"It's okay," he begins, hands lacing together to hide his nervousness. "I think it's what I wanted too. It's...it's crazy but you…" He trails off, wracking his brain to find some semblance of clarity. "You're kind of driving me insane."

Yeosang looks up at him at that, frowning but with the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Jongho finds it hard to formulate any more words, but the other seems to understand. He chuckles, ducking into himself for a moment and then to Jongho's astonishment, he giggles. 

They eat, more comfortable now, sharing random stories and exchanging banter like they haven't just had an awkward conversation. Jongho finds that he's okay with it all and that he's glad to be around Yeosang comfortably again. The inner turmoil is still present, perpetually churning in the back of his mind. He sort of understands but at the same time, he feels like knows nothing anymore.

When dinner comes to an end, Jongho finds himself not wanting to leave. Yeosang seems to catch on though and nods his head in the direction of the road. Jongho just follows silently, letting the older guide him down numerous blocks of sidewalks, past neon signs and through the chill and sludge covered streets of Seoul in early January. 

They come into a slightly more residential area and Jongho understands that he's been walking Yeosang home. He's suddenly nervous, hands sweating grossly even in the chill confines of his pockets and eyes straying over to the older more and more. Yeosang seems unbothered by it all, glancing back at him every now and again with a small, undisturbed smile on his face. 

When they finally come to a stop, it's just before the sliding glass doors at the entrance of the complex Yeosang must live in. It's not too unlike Jongho's own complex—smaller than his but still on the newer side. Jongho blinks, not knowing what to say or what to do. 

"Thanks," Yeosang says quietly. Jongho just nods, brain still running a mile-a-minute. 

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

It's not quite a dismissal because there's a peak in his tone, questioning and curious. Jongho finds himself flustered, hands fidgeting and eyes darting around the older’s face, trying to get a read on the situation. Yeosang smiles, soft and warm, at him and Jongho finds himself stuttering over his own thoughts, eyes travelling over the soft slope of his chilled, red nose and coming to rest on his tantalizing lips, glistening with some balm or gloss. 

“Or you can come up for a while? Have a cup of coffee?” 

It’s only 7pm and it’s not like Jongho has anyone waiting for him back home. Yeosang looks at him a little expectantly, but blinks a few times and then drops his head. “Am I being too forward again?” 

“No!” Jongho answers, probably a little too quickly. He takes a step forward and finds himself closer than he meant to be, a hand grabbing at the older’s jacket sleeve like a kid. “I’d like that.”

The smile that blooms is bright—almost giddy. Yeosang takes his hand this time, eyes a little mischievous as he guides Jongho into the building and up the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i haven't updated this thing since JANUARY!  
> i'm so sorry yall, but i just kinda lost inspiration for it T.T  
> BUT i'm actually going to finish it. i think i have a few chapters left and i WILL do this huhu  
> so please leave a kudos or a comment if you enjoyed this it really helps to motivate me to finish this thing!  
> also, if you want to send me memes, you can do so on twt [@jonghhho](https://twitter.com/jonghhho)!!


	10. x.

Jongho stares up at the ceiling, sprawled on the couch in Yunho and Mingi’s living room. The couple are deeply engrossed in a match of Mario Kart in which Mingi seems to be perpetually losing. Their dog is staring up wantonly at Jongho, giving him the biggest puppy-dog-eyes he’s ever seen. When Yunho finally lets out a triumphant noise and tosses aside his controller, he turns to Jongho. 

“You spoil him, that’s why he’s always coming to you for belly rubs and head scratches.”

The oldest of the three scoops up the dog as he stands, nuzzling his face into the dog’s belly before going to look through the cabinets in the kitchen. The couple had invited Jongho over for dinner, but at this rate, it seems that take-out might be the best option.

“What’s got you so gloomy today?” Mingi asks, coming to drape himself all over Jongho’s legs, looking up at him upside down when he finds a comfortable position that leaves his shoulder digging into one of Jongho’s thighs. 

“I think I’m bisexual.”

He can practically hear the gears in Mingi’s brain screeching to a halt and also hears the yapping of Yunho’s dog as he presumably trips over him as he runs back into the room with wide eyes. The tiny golden fur ball follows, wagging its tail frantically, probably thinking they’re about to play fetch. 

“What?” Yunho all but yells, collapsing onto the floor by Jongho’s head, gripping his shoulder in a tight grip. “Come again?”

Jongho takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. “I think I’m bisexual. Or I’m something on that spectrum because…” He trails off, opening his eyes and glancing at the couple who are looking at him with expectant and curious eyes. 

“Because?” Mingi presses.

He debates not saying anything more, zipping his lips and leaving as his thoughts of Yeosang’s smiles and laughs and lips spill out over the boiling pot of affection he feels for the man. He thinks about shoving it all deep down into himself and never bringing it up again and then he thinks about how sad Yeosang would be if he did that. He thinks about the cold looks the older would give him, mocking glares and the all knowing piercing gaze that would haunt him for the rest of his life. 

No. 

“Because I think I’m in love with Yeosang.” 

There’s screeching in his ears and hands going to shake him and the yapping bark of the dog circling out of the way so as to not get stomped on as Yunho and Mingi jump up and scream nonsense. Jongho closes his eyes again at the noise but something in his chest feels lighter and the heat on the pot inside has lowered and the boiling comes to a slight simmer, roiling low in his stomach and settling comfortably. He’s been wanting to say those words for a good two weeks now, ever since he and Yeosang had that dinner.

“Wait is that why you haven’t been hanging out with us these past few weeks? You’re spending time with that gremlin?” Mingi asks, finally flopping down over his legs again. Jongho nods and then reels back as Yunho laughs loudly. 

“Have you guys kissed yet? Is he a good kisser? Tell us everything,” Yunho says, sitting down on the floor again and pulling his dog into his lap. The puppy seems content at that, settling against Yunho’s thighs like he’s done a million times before.

Jongho feels himself going red, cheeks heating and ears tingling. “I’m not telling you anything! We’re just hanging out is all. We talk for hours, just over coffee or tea, or sometimes a can of beer, but nothing else.” 

“Not yet,” Mingi teases and the two of them start howling again as Jongho goes to cover his face with the throw that’s draped over the back of the couch. He’s going to regret telling them. 

“Does that mean Yeosang’s gonna pick you to go to the trade show with him in two weeks?” Yunho asks and Jongho can hear Mingi deflating.

“The Japan trade show is my favorite!” He wines.

“Well it’s Yeosang who gets to choose because he’s the only one fluent in Japanese. And if whatever’s going on these two is good, he’s going to pick Jongho.” Yunho explains. There’s a moment of silence and then Jongho feels Mingi moving off of him. “Sorry, baby. We can take a trip to Japan together sometime.”

Jongho all but gags as he throws the blanket off and sits up. “I’m leaving. You said we were eating dinner and I haven’t been fed yet and all you’re going to do is tease me for the rest of the night.” 

Yunho and Mingi jump up at this and scrabble around to try to make Jongho stay. They bribe him with some expensive take-out in which Jongho has to relent because he’s not going to say no to good food. 

The two do tease him for the rest of the night, but it’s not too bad after a while. Jongho learns to ignore them, playing with the dog as a distraction and throwing the pillow at Mingi’s head when the other asks him if Yeosang has shown him his bare face yet.

The next week Yeosang announces that he’s picked Jongho to go to the trade show with him and that both Hongjoong and Seonghwa have already approved of this decision. Jongho catches Yunho and Mingi’s wicked eyes and ignores them but he can’t help the excited little shiver that runs up his spine. 

“You never pick me!” Wooyoung wails soon after, throwing himself at Yeosang who unceremoniously drops him onto the floor with a straight face. 

“That’s because I don’t want to spend another second looking at your face outside of this building, Wooyoung,” Yeosang says with no real bite to his words. Wooyoung looks up at his friend, wounded pride cradled to his chest and San looking on at this exchange with his lips twitching up into a smile. “And you snore.” 

“I do not!” 

“You snore like a hog,” Yeosang quips back. San bursts out into laughter, throwing himself on top of Wooyoung, already on the floor and trying to soothe the hurt that his boyfriend is facing. 

“You sometimes snore, darling, but I still love you anyway!” 

Yeosang smiles a little and then schools his features back into a face that reads seriousness and business. He stalks over to Jongho and places a baby blue envelope on his desk. The smile that he’s so thoroughly hidden from everyone up until now comes gradually, eyes lighting up a little as he chuckles. 

“We’re going to have so much fun.”

Another involuntary shiver runs up Jongho’s spine as he laughs nervously up at the older.

Jongho spends the entirety of Thursday practically vibrating with excitement and a bit of nerves. He’s pretty sure he’s messed up the data entry three times in the last five minutes, but he can’t help it. His eyes dart up to look at Yeosang, who is casually working away at his station, every few minutes wondering what the weekend will be like. 

If his ears go red from thinking about sitting in such close proximity to the older on the plane every hour, no one seems to notice. 

Nearing 4PM, everyone seems to be content to just wait around to bid Jongho and Yeosang a safe trip. Jongho’s nerves are alight, never having been out of the country before, let alone travel with the person that’s been putting him through a crisis since the day they met. 

They line up together by the doors, Hongjoong briefing them on the show schedule and Yeosang rolling his eyes as if he hasn’t gone to this event every year since he’d started working at this company. Jongho tries to ignore the wild look in Mingi’s eyes as the older sends him a thumbs up and Yunho snickers behind his computer screen. Wooyoung and San just scream at them to have a nice flight and to eat lots of good food for all eight of them. Seonghwa comes over to fuss over Jongho’s jacket like a concerned mother and Hongjoong has to force the older off of him and pushes them out of the door so they won’t be late for their flight.

Jongho fidgets on the ride over. The taxi driver is loquacious, asking them a ton of questions. Yeosang answers politely, explaining they’re on their way to Japan for work. Jongho tries not to stare at the way Yeosang looks ethereal in the golden light of the setting sun. 

Checking in at the airport poses less of a threat. The security wave them through quickly as crowds of people swarm to different gates. Yeosang takes the lead, steering them through the airport like he’s been there one too many times. Jongho just follows in a half-daze, trying to remember if he’d packed shoes other than the ones on his feet.

“Are you gonna keep standing there, holding everyone up?” Yeosang’s voice cuts through his thoughts some forty minutes later. Jongho blinks and looks around at the faces of annoyed passengers waiting for him to take his seat. His seat next to Yeosang. 

Jongho mumbles a quick apology and sits down. His knee brushes unintentionally against Yeosang’s and he finds himself holding his breath for just a split second. 

The plane is relatively small, but Jongho finds the seats aren’t cramped at all. He glances around at the people passing by, carrying bags. Some look excited and others look just like himself and Yeosang, work clothes still clinging to their frames. He looks over the safety manual and then watches as a few slides of safety instructions pass on the screen attached to the back of the seat in front of him, waxed and polished idols smiling brightly at him. 

“Are you nervous for your first flight?” 

Jongho turns and has a knee jerk reaction. Yeosang is so close, closer than he’s been in a while. Jongho watches as the older blinks at him, a coy smile tugging at the corners of his lips. 

“I’m more nervous about you leaning over me like this,” Jongho answers. 

Yeosang throws his head back in laughter, finally moving away and letting him breathe a little easier. “You’re cute, newbie.” 

The shaking and rumbling of the plane taking off feels strange. Jongho feels his ears pop and winces as Yeosang hands him a stick of gum. “It helps with the ear popping.” 

He’s painfully aware of how close or far Yeosang’s arm is from his—the proximity of their hands isn’t lost on him either, but as minutes turn over into the first hour, Jongho finds himself relaxing a bit. Yeosang orders them both some alcohol and then winks at Jongho about using the company credit card. Jongho feels himself smiling a strangely goofy smile at the happy expression on the older’s face. 

They sip rum and coke and talk about their upcoming schedule for the next day. And then Jongho finds his brain screeching to a halt as Yeosang actually mentions their shared room.

“Hongjoong was being stingy with the rooms this year. It’s probably Seonghwa’s doing, to be honest,” the older says, taking one last sip of his drink and wrinkling his nose. “That shit is strong.” 

Jongho doesn’t say anything because there’s static filling his brain. He drops his plastic cup full of ice now, blinking at Yeosang who is looking at him confusedly. “Did I break you?” 

“We’re using one room?” Jongho asks. The laugh Yeosang lets out is precious, tinkling and bright and happy. 

“Don’t worry newbie. There’s two beds and I won’t try anything, I promise.” He finishes off with a wink that leaves Jongho’s brain reeling even more.

The hotel that the trade show is happening in is fancy and modern. Jongho whistles as Yeosang checks them in using his perfect Japanese. The staff don’t even question it and communicate wholly in Japanese with the older. Jongho stands off to the side and lets him do his thing. He’s pretty useless anyway in the communications department. 

Their room is pretty and spacious and Jongho is much more relieved at actually seeing the two beds. Yeosang thanks the staff and then plops down into the bed closest to the windows. Jongho remains standing at the foot of what’s to be his own bed, shifting nervously. 

The pink haired man opens one eye and then chuckles. “I’m not gonna bite you.” And then, “Unless that’s something you want.” 

Jongho sputters. He can feel his cheeks going red and his eyes going wide as he takes a cautious step back. The older just laughs, flailing about on the bed for a few moments before pulling himself back up. 

In three big steps, he’s in front of Jongho, blinking up at him cutely. “Why are you so scared of this?” 

At those words, Jongho finally finds the tension leaving him a little. He looks around at the dimly lit room. It’s a normal room with two beds, a bathroom, a couch and a TV. Yeosang is normal too—as normal as the most gorgeous person he’s ever seen can be—pink hair a little ruffled and lips quirked up in a smile but gentle.

He scans the room one last time. Are there always bottles of wine in Japanese hotel rooms? 

“You scare me,” Jongho replies as Yeosang leans away a little, giving him space. “You’re amazing and beautiful and I’m scared of how you make me feel.” 

The older hums, a satisfactory glimmer in his eye. “And I’m scared that you’re going to have run off before I get to actually sink my claws in.” He turns and stalks back to his bed and sits down heavily on it. “I just want you to know that I’m not forcing you and I want you to be comfortable.”

The look of earnest concern on Yeosang’s face is what makes Jongho step forward finally. He sits opposite the older on his respective bed and frowns. “I didn’t realize I was making you so…”

“Nervous?” Yeosang finishes, reaching over to tap a finger under his chin. Jongho doesn’t respond, having gotten used to the coy touches the older likes to leave him with. “I’ve never done this before either.” 

Jongho smiles. “You’ve never seduced a co-worker before?” 

“No, you idiot. I’ve never had to wait for someone. I’m waiting for you to understand yourself and to be sure that this is what you want, and I’ve never had to do that with someone before. I’m worried that I’m going to scare _you_ off.” 

Jongho blinks at the blatant honesty and then he feels the smile coming back to his face. He’s in good hands. 

“And I’m grateful it's you.” 

The older nods, holding out a hand in which Jongho takes and squeezes. It’s something they’ve started doing after having serious talks, to help each other know that they’re being serious and genuine and truthful. Jongho finally feels the jitters recede. 

“Now I’m gonna go take my makeup off and then we can go get some konbini food.” 

It takes Jongho a second to process the statement, watching as Yeosang bounds off into the bathroom with a bag of toiletries. “Why convenience store food?” 

Yeosang stops in the middle of bringing the makeup removing pad to his face and turns to him. Jongho feels himself taken aback by the way the bathroom lights are backlighting him in a strangely artful way. “Because konbini food is the light of my life, newbie. Get with the program.”

Jongho takes the opportunity to change. He ducks out of the line of sight of the bathroom and quickly pulls on some comfortable jeans and a hoodie. He’s finished folding his worn clothes neatly into a pile when Yeosang rounds the corner, the top of his pink hair tied into a cute ponytail. Jongho does a double-take as the older busies himself by putting his things away and shaking out the wet parts of his hair.

“Is that a scar?” 

Yeosang looks up and sure enough, there’s a spot of pink just by his left eye, staring in the corner and spreading up into his hairline. The older touches it gingerly. “It’s a birthmark. It’s on my back and hip too.” 

Jongho feels a rush of something like _need_ making his hands ball into fists. He swallows a lump that formed in his throat and looks away from the older, calming the sudden racing of his heart.

“I can show you if you like,” the older teases. Jongho opens his mouth and then closes it, watching as Yeosang raises a still perfectly shaped eyebrow.

He's not quite sure what makes him say the next words that tumble out of his mouth, but later he blames it on the tiny bit of alcohol still burning through his system from the plane ride. "Maybe next time?"

Yeosang bursts out into laughter, throwing hisnhead back and letting all of his cute little teeth show. Jongho finds his own lips twitching up into a smile that mirrors the other's. 

"Getting bold there, little one," the older says. "I like it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao it's been like two and a half months, but i promise this fic is still alive!!  
> i'll try (keyword: try) to update more often so that this thing can wrap up and i'm not making yall wait (if anyone's still here lmao).
> 
> anyway, come yell at me to finish it on twitter @[jonghhho](http://www.twitter.com/jonghhho) :)


End file.
